Rod winding machine



6 Sheets-Sheet l E. wonETzKv ROD WINDING MACHINE pr 249 WEF,

Filed May l, 194'? QE. o Q I..

pri 24, M5121 E. WODETZKY 2,55%, E 3l ROD WINDING MACHINE p 2, QS E, WODETZKY 2,553

ROD WINDING MACHINE Filed May l, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

April 24, 1951 E. woDETzKY 2,550,131

ROD WINDING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 'gi /li HIM www! III

1021 100 JNVENToR.

f7/11a' @deb April 24, 1951 E, WODETZKY 2,550,131

ROD WINDING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Apr. 24, 1951 Elmer Wodetzky, LyribrookV N. Y. Application May l, 1947, Serial No. 745,185

l vThis invention relates V,to winding machines, and more particularly to an improved mechaclaims,

use, and whereby precision `windings may be automatically accomplished in an economical nism for applying strand vwindings smoothly and Y uniformly to various articles.

This improved winding machine has particular application to the automatic winding of thread, cord or wire to shing rods and the like for strengthening and ornamental purposes, and/or for securing line guides and like attachments and accessories to the rod. To produce a quality product, it is necessary that the windings be tautly Wound in a smooth and uniform manner,r with the strands of the winding closely and compactly arranged in adjacent relationship, so that a single strand layer only is applied to the article in a manner to fully and completely conceal that section of the article to which the winding is applied. The desired winding uniformity is particularly dilicult to attain when irregular objects, such. as the legs of line guides, are to be strand-bound to the rod. Uniform winding is rendered further diliicult where the rod or article to be wound possesses inherent exibility and where iiexure of the'article oiTers a disturbing inuence'to the uniformity ,of the winding.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved winding machine whereby strand windings may be applied to shing rods and other articles speedily and with precision accuracy by relatively unskilled operators.

, Another objectof this invention is to provide an improved winding machine whereby a plurality of strand windings may be automatically applied in a single winding operation.

VA further object of this invention is to' provide an improved winding mechanism whereby duplex wound sections may be automatically applied over irregular surfaces proceeding from the outer extremities towards the adjacent extremities of the windings and whereby the strands are tightly wound in a single layer with the adjacent strands in close abutment. 1

Another object of this invention is tov provide y an improved winding mechanism for the strand winding of fishing rods and the like which is substantially automatic in operation and mayY be operated by a relatively unskilled operator to apply single or plural strand windings uniformly, with precision accuracy, and at high production speeds.

- Afurther object of this invention is to provide an improved winding machine which is substantially foolproof in operation, relatively simple in design and construction, sturdy and lasting in r manner and at high production speeds.

Further objectsand advantages of this invenf tion will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds.

In accordance with, this invention, an improved winding machine is provided operative to apply Various windings to different articles, and has particular adaptability tov the automatic application of thread, cord and wire windings to fishing rods. The machine mechanism is mounted upon a base plate supported on suitable legs or brackets so that the operator can assume a comfortable sitting position beforethe machine. The mechanism incorporates an improved expansible chuck equipped with a resilient socket member to receive the butt end of the rod or article, the chuck incorporatingmeans withinV convenient access to the operator for manipulating the resilient socket member to releasably grip the article to be operated upon rmly and tenaciously without marring or otherwise defacing, the article. f

The machine further incorporatesV an improved y winding head which presents duplex winding sections whereby a pair ofv spacedy strands may bel simultaneously wound on the article. Each winding `section includes a guide arm supporting paired friction discs through which the strand is led to the article being wound.A Improved means associated with the friction discs Vare' provided, whereby a nicely controlled predetermined tension may be applied to the strand vbeing woundto insure a tight winding. Eachhead section also incorporates an eyelet for guiding the strand to the article being wound.

The paired head sectionsa-re mounted upon a frame plate adjustably secured to the bed plate of the machine, a driven shaftbeing provided having a worm drive connection to the guide arms of the winding head. The duplex-head sections are driven in synchronismv in opposite directions', whereby the legs of a line guide` may be strandbound to the rod body, the winding proceeding simultaneously from the tip ends of thev legs towards the ring section thereof. The guide arms of the head section are pivotally mounted so that they'may be quickly disconnected from the drive shaft to permit resetting thereof. Means associated withthe windinghead are provided for accurately setting the guide arms thereof in the desired winding position.

The machine further incorporates an irnproved driving mechanismI whereby a predeter- Means are conveniently provided to permit the operator to manually rotate the chuck and effect transverse movement of the guide arms of the winding head asis desirable when attaching the free ends of the winding strands to the article to be wound. The machine is substantially automatic in operation so that the operators attention may be confined to attachment and detachment of successive rods being wound in the chuck;

initial tying of the head end of the strand to the rod at the beginning of the Winding operation; and the loop tying of the tail end of the strand to the rod at the end of the winding operation. In

the event only one strand is to be wound on the rod, one of the head sections may be swung into inoperative position, the other selected head section only being employed in the placement of the desired winding on the article.

With this improved machine an operator with relatively little training can apply and fully strand-bind both legs of a line guide to a fishing rod in about one minute. The windings as applied aresmooth and compact, and substantially superiorV in workmanship to windingsk normally applied by hand. The machine has numerous adjustable features which permit accurate gauging and adjustment of the operating parts thereof to accommodate the various winding conditions that may be encountered. While the machine possesses complete flexibility and responsiveness in operation, it is relatively simple in design and may be inexpensively constructed so as to give long life and service. Y

Although the characteristic featuresl of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken ,in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in

which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a machine encompassed by this invention particularly designed for the application of winding strands to such articles as fishing rods, certain parts of the winding head being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a section of a shing rod and an associated line guide, this view showing a pair of winding strands atthe initial stage of application to the legs of the line Yguide and rod section. Y

Y Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a section of the fishing rod. and associated line guide with the paired winding strands substantially fully applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 5 is an end view of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 4 as the same appears at the driving end thereof, the driving mechanism being shown at rest position.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged end elevational View of the driving end of the machine showing the driving mechanism swung into driving position.

Fig. '7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the machine showing further details thereof as the same would appear when viewed along line 'I-l of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken longitudinally of the machine as the same would appear when viewed along line 8-8 of Fig. 7, this view showing details of the rod receiving chuck and its associated driving mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary transverse cross-sectional view of the machine as the same would appear when viewed along line 9-9 of Fig. 8, this View showing further details of the rod receiving chuck and associated supporting bracket.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan View showing details of the duplex Winding head operative to apply a pair of strands simultaneously to a rod shaped article such as a fishing rod, thisview showing the winding head in position to commence the winding of a pair of strands to a lishing rod and to the legs of an associated line guide.

Fig. l1 is an elevational View of the duplex winding head shown in Fig. l0, certain parts thereof being shown in section to reveal structural details.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary transverse cross-sectional view of the winding head as viewed along line I2-I2 of Fig. 1l and as the same would appear when in operative position.

Fig. 13 is a transverse cross-sectional View of the 'winding head as the same Would `appear when in inoperative position, and

Fig. 14 is a front elevational View of the duplex winding head in the form shown in Fig. 11, this view showing the paired guide arms thereof as they would be positioned at the final stage of the duplex winding operation.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the draw ings and specification. c

The improved machine encompassed by this invention is particularly designed to apply strand windings in a compact manner and with precision accuracy to various articles such as fishing rods, golf clubs, and the like.. The machine as illustrated in the drawings exempliles its application to the strand winding of lishing rods and the strand binding vof line guides to the rod body. The machine as illustrated comprises a supporting table A having a driving assembly B correlated to drive the moving parts of the machine, and a winding head C which may be operated to apply either a single lwinding or a plurality of windings substantially simultaneously to the article.

The supporting table A comprises a bed plate I which may be formed of a heavy steel plate to minimize vibration when the machine is in use, the bed plate I presenting a front edge 2, a rear edge 3 and end edges 13 and 5. The bed plate I maybe supported upon suitable legs or brackets 5 at a height convenient to the operator.

The Ydriving assembly As shown more particularly in Figs 1, 4, 5, 5 and 7, the driving assembly B comprises a motor I0 whose shaft II has a friction gear I2 attached thereto. The motor I@ is mounted upon a supporting plate I3 lwhich is hinged at one end thereof by a hinge pin I4 which is connected to a pair of spaced lugs I5 projecting upwardly from the bed plate I. The motor supporting plate I3 and the motor Il) may thus be tilted so that the friction gear t2. may be swung into andout of '(ilrivi'ng` engagement. with. a friction wheel 40 complished by the provision of a cam plate itv Which'is swingably mounted at the end edge 4 of the bed plate by means of a pivot bolt 22l extending through the cam plate, the pivot bolt 2.2

being attached toa bracket 231xed as. by screws 2`4 tothe underside of the bed plate Iz. It will be noted by referring more particularly to Figs. 5. .and 61,` that the pivot bolt 22l isV connected to thecam plate 2'0 in off-center position. so as to improve the camming effect of the relatively at upperV face 2f`I of. the cam plate 210 which seats against the under surface of the hinged motor supporting plate I3. When the cam plate is in av substantially' true vertical position as shown in Fig.. 5,. the motor supporting plate I3 will ilatl-y rest. against the. upperA face 2l. of the cam plate, in. which position the friction gear I2 of the motor will be in spaced inoperative position with respect. to the. frictionwheel 40,. When the cam plate is. tilted to position shown in Fig. 6, the motor supporting plate t3 will be supported by the corner portion 2 I=" ofthe cam plate, in which position the friction gear I2 will be in driving engagement with the Yfriction wheel 40. It will be vnoted that one of the upper corners of the cam. plateY has; a beveled contour as. at; 2'!" so that an accidental overswing of the cam plate 25 will not raise the motor supporting plate I3 to driving position.

v Cam plate 20, which thus` serves to throw the driving mechanism` of'. the machine into and out of' operation, may be manipulatedby hand or in any suitable manner, but' preferably is manipulated by the foot of the operator so that the operators. hands can give full attention to the winding mechanism located abovev the bed plate t. The foot. manipulating lever may comprise.- a U-shaped' frame. 26 having a horizontally extending rod: portion 2l against which the foot of the operatorv may rest, and a pair of vertically extending 'leg portions 28 and 2,9. Leg portion 23r terminates in aV connecting plate 30 which is pivotally connected as by bolt 3| to the cam plate 20: The connecting plate 30 may be provided with an arcuate slot. 32 through which bolt 33 extends, the bolt 33 being fastened to the cam plate 20.. A similar connecting plate 30. is secured asV by bolt 3|' to a bracket plate 3'4 Whose upper end is hinged as by a journal 35 supported at the opposite end 5 of the bed plate li. The connecting plate 30 has an arcuate slot 32 which receives a bolt 33 secured to the bracket plate 34. In this arrangement, the foot manipulating frame 26 may be swung by the operators foot, toward and away from the sitting position of the operator to move the motor driven friction gear I2 vinto and outl of driving engagement with the friction wheel 40. The foot manipulated frarriefZGv may be adjusted in position for the y operators convenience by adjusting the locked position of the bolts 33 and 33 in the arcuate slots 32' and 3,2 of the connecting plates 3l! and 30. associated 'with the frame.

The driving assembly encompasses means for supporting and rotating the article or rod which is to receive the. winding strand. As shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 8., the friction wheel is fixed to a horizontally extending shaft 4I which is rotatably journaled in bearings 15v 6", carried by a pair of spaced brackets 42. and 43 xed to the bed plate Iv of the machine. The

shaft 4I is preferably provided with shoulder portions 44 positioned adjacent the supporting brackets 42 and 43 to prevent weaving movement of the shaft, which otherwise freely rotates in bearings 45 associated with the brackets 42 and 43. The friction wheel 40 is suitably secured as by set screw 46 tothe shaft 4I. The shaft 4I presents a shaft extension 4t to which a hand wheel 4l is secured as by means of a suitable set screw 4'I'. The rim portion of the hand wheel 41' has a rubber covering 48 shaped to provide a convenient hand grip whereby the shaft 4 I` and the shaft extension 4I may be manually rotated.

The shaft extension 4I supports an improved chuck assembly 50 providing a receptor for the end of the rod to be wound, and as shown more particularly in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, comprises a collar portion 5I which is. fixed to the shaft extension 4I. as by set screw 52. An expansible tubular casing '53, defined by a plurality of springlike fingers 54, extends laterally from the collar portion 5I, the fingers 54 flaring outwardly slightly in the direction of their free ends 56'. The inner ends of the resilient lingers 54 are integrally attached to the collar portion 5| and are separated by open slits 55, the free ends 56 of the resilient fingers 54 being thickened and reinforced. The expansible tubular casing 53 as defined by the resilient fingers 54 presents an interior cavity or socket` which receives a resilient socket member 5l which may be formed of soft rubber or the like and which is shaped to fit within the tubular casing 53, andv to maintain contact with the outwardly flaring fingers '54.. The resilient socket member 51 has a cavity therein designed and shaped to receive the end of the rod r tol be wound. The socket member 51' comprisesa relatively thick tubular wall 58 which is received andcontained by the resilient lingers 54, the socket member 51 also having an outturned rim portion 59 against which the ends 56 of the resilient fingers 54 abut. It will be appreciated that` the resilient fingers 5d may be pressed against the tubular body 58 of the socket member 5l to contractthe socket. cavity therein so that the tubular Wall 58 will resiliently gri'pthe butt portion of the rod r which is inserted into the cavity thereof.

Means` are provided to exert the desired contracting pressure against the resilient fingers 54, which means, as Vshown in the drawings, may comprise a metal slip ring 6!! designed toencircle the resilient lingers 54. The slip ring 60 is supported upon a bracket 6I having a horizontal leg 52 pivotal'ly mounted upon the bed plate I as by a screw bolt 63 which extends through a raised boss Se associated with the bed plate Il. The bracket 6l has a Vertical leg 55 from which a pair of spaced branch arms 66 and 67 extend. Each of the branch arms 66 and 61 is provided with van inwardly extending stud 68 having a cylindricalhead 69. The cylindrical heads 69 are diametricallyV arranged and extend into a channel shaped raceway I0 formed in the outerv cylindrical face of the slip ring 60.

It will be appreciated that when the supporting bracket 6I is swung upon the pivot bolt t3., the slip ringr 50' may be. moved axially of the expansible. tubular casing 153 to the position shown in Fig. 8: where the slip ring exerts no appreciable pressure upon the resilient socket member 'iyto a position adjacent the enlarged terminus ends 56 of the resilient fingers 54, .in which position maximum pressure is exerted against the tubular body wall 58 of the resilient socket .member 51. The enlarged ends 56 of the resilient fingers 54 prevent the slip ring 68 from being moved 01T from the resilient fingers at the terminus end thereof, a set screw 1| or like abutment associated with the collar portion 5| being also provided to limit the axial movement of the slip ring and prevent the slip ring from being moved off from its normally inoperative position adjacent the collar portion 5|.

The slip ring supporting bracket llil may be conveniently manipulated from the working position of the operator by providing the horizontal leg 62 of the bracket with a lever extension 62 which may be manipulated by a connecting rod 1.3 attached as by hinge pin 14 to a manipulating lever 15. One end of the manipulating lever 15 maybe pivotally secured to thebed plate by hinge pin 16, the other end of the lever 15 having a convenient manipulating handle 11 located within easy reach of the operator. By manipulating the lever 15, the .operator can manipulate the slip ring 69 as desired to attach or detach the rod r to and from the resilient socket member 51. A highly convenient and effective chuck assembly is thus provided whereby the rod operated upon may be firmly gripped and engaged and disengaged therefrom, without marring the finish of that portion of the rod gripped by the chuck. If the rod end to be operated upon is of very small diameter compared `with the cavity of the socket member 51, a separate rubber sleeve may first be slipped over the end of the rod to insure a rm grip on the end of the rod by the resilient socket member 51.

A further important feature of this invention is the provision of an improved winding head C whereby one or more `winding strands may be wound upon the rod in a compact and even manner with precision accuracy. The winding head C is open-ated and driven by a shaft `80 which extends longitudinally of the machine adjacent the rear edge 3 of the bed plate and preferably is positioned below the bed plate I. The drive shaft 80 is rotatably supported in spaced bearing journals 8| which may be fixed to the spaced legs -6 of the machine. iShaft 8E! may be provided with spaced collars 82 fixed to the shaft as by set screws 83 to prevent axial weaving movement of the shaft. The driven end of the shaft 80 carries a pulley wheel `81| which receives a drive belt 85 trained around a pulley wheel 86 of reduced diameter which is fixed to the projecting end of the shaft 4|. It `will be noted that the head driving shaft 80 rotates at substantially slower speed than the motor driven shaft 4| which rotates the rod T, a denite speed )correlation being established between these shaft-s for purposes as will presently appear. It will also be noted that rotation of the shaft 4|, either by the motor I8 or the hand wheel 48, will also rotate the shaft 80 lwhich operates the Winding head.

The winding head The winding head C may comprise a single operate to simultaneously direct a pair of strands progressively along the line guides, starting from the tip ends of the guide legs g and moving progressively toward the guide ring g" thereof. Figs. 10 to 14 of the drawings illustrate a winding head equipped with paired winding sections particularly adapted for the simultaneous converging strand winding of la line guide to a fishing rod. This is a particularly diicult operation which this machine will perform automatically and with precision accuracy.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 10 to 14 inclusive, the winding head C comprises a frame plate 98 which may be adjustably secured as by bolts 9| to the bed plate I adjacent the rear edge 3 thereof. The frame plate 9|] presents a pair ofV spaced rearwardly extending arms 92, each arm having a depending bracket plate 93 'which projects downwardly below the bed plate l. The drive shaft 8|) extends through suitably aligned openings in the bracket plates 93. The bracket plates 93 may be connected by a pair of spaced rods 94 and 95 which serve as abutment stops forpivotally mounted guide or winding arms 96 `and 96 forming a part of the paired winding sections.

Each of the guide arms 9B and 96 are similar in construction and are driven in unison from the drive shaft Sil so as to have opposite traversing movements. The guide arms 96 and 98 have corresponding lower sections 91 and 91 providedY with bearing sleeves 98 and 98 respectively. A

supporting shaft 99 extends through the bearing sleeves 98 and 98 and is fixed to and supported by the bracket plates 93; The lower sections 91 and 91 of the guide arms 96 and 96 are respectively provided with extensions Iil and |08' projecting below their associated bearing sleeves 98 and 98. The guide arm extensions |90 and |00 respectively carry half nut sections IBI and |9| suitably fixed thereto as by rivets |02 andY |82.

The half nut section lill of guide arm 96 is designed to cooperate with the right hand thread of a drive Worm |83 xed to the drive shaft 80 as by set screw |04, while the half nut section l0 I of guide arm 96 is designed to cooperate with the left hand thread of avthreaded drive worm |83 also nxed to the drive shaft 8B' as by set screw Ifl'. In this Varrangement it is 'evident that when the'drive'shaft 80 is rotated in one direction, the paired guide arms 96 and 96 may be advanced towards each other, and when the drive shaft 8l! is rotated in the opposite direction the guide arms 96 and 96 will be progressively moved away from each other. By the pro` vision of a Winding head having duplex guide arms operably connected to the drive shaft 89 as above described, it is apparent that winding strands may be simultaneously and progressively wound from the tip ends g of the line guide g inwardly towards the ring section g thereof.

The guide arms 95 and 96 present upper sections |95 and |35 respectively, which may be formed of metal plate having inturned arm portions |96 and |96' terminating in vertically extending lug portions |91 and |01 respectively. The lug portions |91 and |01 support spindle shafts |98 and |88' respectively. The spindle shafts |88 and |08' rotatably support paired friction discs |99 and ||0 and |09' and H0' respectively. One of the winding strands 'is seated between and gripped by the adjacent surfaces of the paired friction discs |99 and H9, while the The spindle shaft ina has a heedp'ertien iii which presses'against the adjacent friction disc |I so that the paired discs |09 and ||0 may be clamped between the head pcrtiofnwl II oit-.fthe spindle" |081 and the lug portiony |01 of the guide arm 96. r-lhe spindle shaft Hi8 earriesnadccil spring l I2 which is compressed between lug pore tion I0? of the guidearm $16 and ascollared nut I I3 which is threaded to the endl ofthe spindle shefi we. The een spring ioeeives mit a resilient grip on the strand s drawn beltween thenadjacent surfaces of thecooperating strand s being varied as desired by ing suit able adjustment of the collaredJ nut Alui-3.. t A

Similarly, the spindle shattmlvfhasa head prtion I i I which presses againstAthe adjacent frictin discY |I0 lso` that 1the paired discs |00 and IIl may be clamped betweenthe head porticri I ,UI of: the spindle |08Mand the vlugporf tion i107 of theguide arm 96'. e coil spring I'I2" carried by. the kspindle ,shaft |03"v is corre pressed between the los portion llol theeolde arm 9E and a collaredvnut H73 which is threaded t thel end of the spindle shaft |03. The coil spring Iii serves to edect a reslientugrip on strand s dravvn between adjacent surfaces of the cooperating*frictionndiscs |09 and IIBL, the tension on this Strand being varied as desired by making suitable adjustment of the collared nut ||3' l The Windingl strands s yandes' Huzliunl.upon spools p and p islfedlbetwreen' the paired friction discs I0@ and I I0 andthe paired friction discs |00' and I I0 respectively; and then through suitable guide eyelets II5 and II5 supported in as c'onvenient location on the guide arn'isgluf and 9'6 respectively. The spools p and p may be supported on suitablel spindles conveniently loated adjacent the Winding. head, the paired fric'I4 tion discs above describedubeing relied i'ip'onl to= supply the vnecessary tension to` the Winding strands s and s. Where the winding head com# prises a pair of cooperating guide arms 90 i t S6 as above describedl the Winvdingstrands miabetcenv'eniently arranged to over the oppol sitely directed legs y of the-line guide y. y i Where the Winding head comprises a pair of oppositely travelling guide arms Sii and 9'6'f`, the guid'earms may be resili'ently maintained in spaced relation by a coil spring I'IGMtlie` ends' of which abut against the bearingv sleeves il?- and 98 of the guide arms 36 and SSf respectively. Theguidearms 95, and 96" are nevertheless maintained in predetermined maximum spaced rela;` tin by sleeve members I'I' and I |"I having head portions II 8 and IIB" designed to abut against the'upper sections |05 and |05 of the guidearms 96 and SI5 respectively. y d l The tubular sleeve IH has a threaded eterio'r vvhieh threads into a bracket IIS fixed as by vse#` curi'ngscrews |20 to the fra'rneplate 90. The sleeve" I'I'i carries a threaded nut I2 if which'tfnay be' adjusted in accordance with the length of the' windings' to be madeT The tubular'sleev' .IY'I' cntai-nsa plunger head |22 having a yrounded"end |23 designed to seat within a corresponding seek;l et in the upper section |05 of theline' guide" coil spring |25 embraces a manipulating rodA l2@ andthe ends thereof abut the plur'igerV head" |22 and the closed. end |25 of the `tubular sleeve IIA'I' `The coil spring |25 maintains the plunger head I22I1resiliently pressedagainst the upper section |05 of the-guide arm vllt; The manipulat'e ing rod |24 projects beyond the end of the tufriction discs |00 and |I0, the tenslonon the 10 bular sleeve III and Jisprovided 'With a handle portion |21 Wherebythe plungerA head |22 may be manuallymmanipulated to release the plunger headv |22 from engagement with the upper secn tion |05 ofthe guide arm 96. e H y The guide arm ,196 is likewise equipped Witha tubular sleeve Ill having amthreaded exterior which threads into a, bracket-, i IIQ secured as by Nscrews to the frame plate 9 0. The sleeve ill also carries a threaded nut |2I Whichmay be adjusted in accordance with the length of the Winding tobe made by the guide arm 96. The tubular sleeve I 'If contains a plunger head |22 having a rounded end I `23 designed to seat with; in a corresponding socket formed in the upper section |05 of" the line guide 96', armanipulaty Ving rod |24 being attached to the plungerehead guilde arms be i ayer from' the operator about the' pivot haft' |22. A coil spring |725 which embracesthe manipulating rod I 24 has the ends thereof abute ting the plunger head iZZff and the closed end |25' of the tubular sleeve II'| The coil spring |25 maintains the plunger head izfnresiliently pressed against the upper section |05' ofthe guide arm 96. The plunger rod |24' projects beyond the end o f the tubular sleeve II'I and is provided with a handle portion I2'I' whereby the plunger head |22 may be manually manipulated to release the plunger head IZZQAfrom engagementuwith thev upper section |05 of the guide err-11,195. x It will thus be appreciated that, the coil spring Ht which encircles the rod 9a resilientlyretains the; cooperating guide arms 9e and 96' in maximumpaeedre'lation, as permitted and, determined bypthe vtl'ireaded settings of the tubular sleeves, I Il and I Il; which settings may bead'-A juste'dQby manipulating their associatedthre'aded nuts I2I and |2 I respectively.u The half nuts 10| and IBI of theguidearms 95 `and 96A respectively are normally maintained in threaded opere. ative, engagement with the threaded, Sleeves m3, and I03lrespectivelyjby leaf-springs |28 and |231' which are vmore particularly illustrated in Figs l2 and 131i; The leaf- Spring- I28, hasone. end thereof secured tov the lovver section 9 'I ofiwthe guide armliand; the other end ofthe leaf: Spring is poeitioneoltoebut the abutmentrod 9:5 which extends between the spacedbracket plates thereof Secured to the lower section eliof the guide arm 96 and has itslower end abutment against .the eliuimetltgrod ,915. iBy.. withdrawing illeoliineerlleeels. With tlqiedguidel arms 06 andk respectvly, lh

' manually rocked rearwardly gewag-ainsi the tension ef the iair-spriv etoiles; respeciiielwvhieh, senil-ein se maintain trie'heii nets mieinjd ioifpineii iiijent winni the* uireaee sleeves los aiid io Manual release of the' pli'Ingery heads |232" and" I22" will extend the plunger headsl sof asY toV abut against' the front lfitlg'evll of the upper Sectibns' |65 and.; its' ofthegiii'de arms et andes', soes'io preventa return of the guide arms' to operative position' untilthe plunger heads |23 and Ir22f havevbeen Withdrawn out of abutment; against the front edge of the guide arms. In' this man ner the guidearrns maybe read-illy engaged andi disengaged from driving coninectioniwith the drive shaft topermit a: resetting of the-'guide arm-'s for the nexl succeeding. Winding operation; after theprecedi-rrg Windingoperation has been comy plated.'

Means are provided to asssit the operator to laccurately position the line guide g upon the rod 1 and assure accurate centering of the leg windings. The positioning means also assists the operator in accurately locating each individual line guidein the same position on successive rods of the same length or type being operated upon in the production schedule. This improved positioning means, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 10, 12 and 13, comprises an indicating arm|36 whose lower end is pivotally mounted on a hinge pin |3| supported upon a suitable bracket |32 xed to the frame plate 90. The indicator arm |30 is mounted to be manually swung from an angular position as shown in Figs. 4 and 12, to a substantially horizontal position as shown in Figs. 1, and l-.l rThe in dicator arm |30 when swung up into angular position would extend transversely across and would be in contact with the rod T to be wound. The ring portion y of the line guide would then be placed by the operator on the rod 1^ in true alignment with the indicator arm |33. If desired, quick drying adhesive may be applied to the legs g of the line guide y to temporarily secure the line guide in accuratley aligned position upon the rod to be wound, prior to the application of the winding strands thereto.

A plurality of spaced steady rests |35 are provided to prevent whipping action or movement of the rotated rod during the winding operation. As shown in Figs. 4, 12 and 13, each steady rest |35V comprises an upright member suitablyl secured to the bed plate I and which is preferably made of a block of fairly soft rubber. The bed plate I maybe provided with a metal socket |36 in which the lower end of the steady rest is firmly tted. The forward edge |31 of each steady rest is provided with a V-shaped notch |38 into which the adjacent body of the rod 1' is designed to seat. The tension of the strands being wound serves to retain the body of the rod within the V-shaped notch |38 of the steady rest in a manner to prevent whipping or vibration of the rod as it is rotated. When the winding strand is severed from the rod, the rod will be readily released from the supporting notches |38 of the steady rests |35 so that the operator need only coni-lne his attention 'to removal of the butt end of the rod from the chuck assembly 50. The V-notch |38 is so shaped and formed as -to rotatably support rods of varying diameters and varying surface contours.

It will be appreciated that when rods of the lsame type and size are being wound in accordance with the production schedule, that the windingsl as well as the line guides are placed on the rod body. at the same locations on successive rods, and accordingly the winding head C may remain fixed in the same location when operating upon rods of the same length and type. Should it be desired to relocate the position of the windings as may be the case in the production of a series of larger or smaller type rods, the winding head C may be conveniently shifted to the desired location by the provision of the spaced threaded holes |39 accurately located to receive the bolts 9| to secure the frame plate 90 of the winding head C to the bed plate I in the proper location.

The threaded sleeves |03 and |03 would also be shifted to the proper location along the drive shaft 80 and set in the proper operating position by the set screws |04 and |04' associated therewith. It will be appreciated that each machine may be equipped with more than one winding head so that plural windings may be applied to the rod simultaneously as desired.

Operation of the machine In operating the machine, the operator inserts the butt end of the first rod of a production run into the resilient socket 51 and shifts the slip ring 60 laterally so that the resilient fingers 54 will resiliently press the tubular body 58 of the expansible socket member 51 rmly around the butt end of the rod to firmly grip the same. Where a line guide g is to be strand bound to the rod, or where an ornamental winding is to be applied to the rod, the winding head C is shifted to the desired location and clamped in position by the clamp bolts 9|. The indicator arm |30 may be conveniently employed to locate the winding with respect to the rod as desired. Where a line guide is to be strand bound to the rod, the duplex guide arms 96 and 96 are both operated in unison. Where only a decorative winding is to be applied to the rod, only one of the guide arms 96 or 96' may be employed.

As the initial step in the winding operation, the free ends of the winding strands s and s' are rst manually applied to the rod by making one or two turns of the winding thereon with the end of the thread inserted under the initial winding as shown in Fig. 2. A spot of quick drying adhesive may, if desired, be employed to bond the free end of the strand to the rod body. To facilitate the initial hand winding, the operator may desire to manually rotate the rod 1- fixed to the chuck assembly 50 and the head driving shaft 80. Since the seating position of the operator may in certain instances place -the operator beyond reach of the hand wheel 41, the machine may be provided with a manipulating extension which comprises a secondary hand wheel |40 located adjacent the seating position of the operator and connected to one end of a shaft I4I rotatably supported in spaced bracket bearings |42 secured to the bed plate I. The opposite end of the shaft |4| is provided with a friction wheel |43 which has frictional engagement with the rubber tired periphery of the hand wheel 41. By manually rotating the secondary hand wheel |40, it will be appreciated that the chuck assembly 50 and the rod 1' supported thereby, and also the head driving shaft 80, may be manually rotated in synchronism during the initial application of the ends of the winding strands to the rod.

When the free ends of the strands have been attached to the rod as indicated in Fig. 2, the operator swings the friction gear I2 into driving engagement with the friction wheel 40, which is effected by foot manipulation of the U-shaped manipulating member 26 which serves to elevate the motor supporting plate I3 and the continuously driven friction gear I2 into driving engagement with the friction wheel 40. The rod 1' supported in the chuck assembly 50 will then be mechanically rotated by the motor I0, and the taut winding strands will retain the rod pocketed within the V-shaped grooves |38 of the steady rests |35. In thread winding a line guide to the rod, the paired guide arms 96 and 96', initially held in predetermined maximum space relation by the coil spring II6, will be advanced along the worm sleeves |03 and |03 as the strands s and s are wound over the legs g of the line guide g.

It will be noted that the driven speed of the shaft and the pitch of the threads on the sleeves |03 and |03 are such that the guide arms 52,15 5o, lei

, 13 496 and 9.5 are horizontally` advanced the precise thickness of a single strand" during a complete vrevolution of the rod r. The threads on the drive worms |03 and Ilhare preferably of line pitch and the driving connection to the shaft 60 is such as to rotate the shaft at a relatively slow speed as compared with the speed of rotation of the chuck assembly 50 and the rod r supported thereby. v A correlated speed relationship is thus maintainedl between the transverse travel of the guide arms 96 and 9G and the speed of rotation of the rod r; thereby insuring a compact single layer winding of the strands on the rod. Should a strand of different thickness be employed, the

" speed correlation may be modified by applying either a smaller or a larger pulley wheel 80 to the shaft 4|, or by installing a new set of worm sleeves |03 and |03 to the headV driving shaft 80.

When the strand windings have been substantially completed,` the operator takes a small length of thread and forms a loop therein and continues the winding over the loop section for a considerable number of turns. When the strand winding has been fully completed, the strand is severed and the severed end thereon drown through the loop bonded to the rod windings. The operator exerts a pull on theA free ends of the loop, which serves to draw the severed end of the cut strand underneath the previously applied winding to firmly lock the severed end to the wound strand. Any projecting tail ends of the Vwinding or loop thread can be closely clipped adjacent the winding so that the terminal end of the wound strand is substantially invisible.

It will, be appreciated that a single decorative winding may be applied to the rod in any location desired by the operative employment of either the guide arm 06 or the guide arm 96. The tautness of the winding may be set close to the breaking limit of the winding strand by a proper frictional adjustment of the cooperating friction discs |05-and H0 or |09 and H0 as desired. A firm and extremely tight winding can thusbe assured. Because of the precise correlation between the speed of transverse travel of the guide arms 06 and 95 and the speed of rotation of the rod r which is an inherent characteristic of the machine as designed, extremely compact winding is assured with the adjacent strands of the winding intight abutment with no overlap of the winding strands. l To maintainthe line guide in fixed 4position on the rod, an improved clamp member may be employed as illustrated more particularly in Fig.` 2.t The clamp |50 as shown in Fig. 2 is preferably formed of spring steel, presenting a generally box-shaped section 5| having a relatively flat top wall |52 and enclosing rim-shaped side walls |53 and end walls |53 A springr steel hook section'l5llis secured at one end thereof to one vofthe end walls |53( of the box-shaped section |55| and. if desired, may be made integral therewith.' The hook section |54has a semicircular arm portion |55 designed to snugly embrace the body of the rod r, the arm portion |55 having a liared lip |565V to facilitate application of the clamp |50 to the rod body. A pair of flared skirts |51 depend from opposite side walls |53 of the box-shaped member 5| to straddle the ring section g of the line guide.

In applying the clamp |50 to the rod, the line guide g is first applied to the rod with the leg portion g' thereof snugly seating against the selected exterior face of the rod. The arm portion. |55V ofthe clip is then swung Aunder the rod and an upwardly lifting pull exerted on the box section 5| thereof so as to swing the box .section |5| over the top of the ring section g" of the line guide g. The box section |5| of the clamp 50 is centered on the ring section y of the line guide g so that the clamp |50 exerts pressure against the line guide g in a direction towards the axis of the rod, thus retaining the line guide y in an immovable position on the rod body during the winding operation. The clamp |50 may be easily slipped off from the line guide y and the rod body by exerting a lifting force on the box section 5| of the clamp |50 so as to permit the box section |5| to be readily tilted 01T from the ring section g of the guide member g. The end walls |53 of the box section |5I assist in retaining the box section |5| of the clamp |50 accurately centered on the ring section y of the line guide g' and the resilient skirts |51 are designed to press against the side face of the ring section g to resiliently retain the clamp |50 properly mounted on the line guide g during the winding operation. I

While this improved strand winding machine is particularly adapted for the application of guide windings and decorative windings to fishing rods, it will be appreciated that the mechanism above described is equally vserviceable in the application of either decorative or reinforcing windings to the shafts of golf clubs and the shafts and handles of instruments, tools and like articles. The machine embraces means whereby-the operating parts may be flexibly adjusted and adapted to the particular winding operation to be performed, with the drive and adjustment controls within easy access of the sitting position of the operator. The winding head is preferably equipped with duplex winding sections which may be connected to be driven in accurate synchronism to perform a duplex Winding operation, or one of the rwinding sections may be swung into inoperative position and a single winding section employed, as the operator may elect, to perform the selected winding operation. The mechanical operating parts and the driving assembly are so correlated and synchronized as to insure a taut and tight winding on the article opelatedgupon, with the winding strands in tight and compact abutment. The machine will successfully execute accurate and tight windings on articles of irregular .and varying contours, as would be presented in the strand binding of line guides to shing rods. The machine is substantially automatic in operation and may be operated by relatively unskilled operators to effect precise and smooth windings at high production speeds.

VWhile certain Vnovel features of the invention have been disclosed herein, and arepointed out in the annexed claims, it will beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for applying stranding windings to arod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support said rod, means to rotate said chuck and the rod supported thereby, and means for traversing a winding strand over a selected area of the rod, said chuck including a receptor having a hub portion fixed to the end of a rotatably mounted shaft, compressible fingers delining a pocket extending from said hub portion, a socket member formed of resilient material contained'within said pocket, said socket member presenting a cavity therein designed to receive a section of the rod body, and means to releasably compress said socket member into firm gripping engagementV with the rod body.

2. A machine for applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support said rod, means to rotate said chuck and the rod supported thereby, and means for traversing a winding strand over a selected area of the rod, said chuck including a receptor having a hub portion fixed to the end of a rotatably mounted shaft, said hub portion having compressible fingers extending therefrom and defining a pocket, a socket member formed of resilient material contained with said pocket, said socket member having a cavity therein designed to receive a section of the rod body, a slip ring designed to slide over said compressible fingers to releasably compress said socket member into firm gripping engagement with the rod body, and means for manipulating said slip ring over said compressible fingers.

3. A machine for applying strand windings to selected areas of a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support one end of the rod, means to rotate said chuck and the rod supported thereby, and means for traversing a winding strand over a selected area of the rod, said chuck having compressible fingers dening a pocket, a socket member formed of resilient material contained within said pocket, said socket member having a socket cavity therein designed to receive a section of the rod body, a slip ring designed to slide over said compressible fingers to releasably compress aid socket member into firm gripping engagement with the rod body, a pivoted lever for manipulating said slip ring over said compressible fingers, and manually operated means operably connected to said pivoted lever for manipulating the same.

Y4. A machine f-or applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a winding head including a pivotally mounted arm having means at one end thereof for guiding a winding strand in winding position on to the rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck 'and for traversing said winding head in correlated speed relationship whereby a smooth and compact winding is effected, said driving means including a'rotatably mounted traversing shaft, a drive worm fixed to said shaft, means associated with the other end of said arm providing a traversing drive connection with said worm, a drive shaft rotatably supporting said chuck, and driving means for rotating said shafts in correlated Y relationship.

5. A machine for applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a winding head including a pivotally mounted winding arm having means at one end thereof for guiding a winding strand in winding position on to the rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding head, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft, a drive worm xed to said shaft, means associated with the other end of said arm providing a traversing drive connection with said worm, a drive shaft rotatably supporting said chuck, driving means `for rotating one of said shafts, a pulley connected to each of said shafts, and a belt operably con- -necting said pulleys whereby said shafts may be :driven in unison, the driving diameter of said pulleys and the pitch of said worm being such as to correlate the speed of rotation of said chuck with the traversing speed of said winding head in a manner to effect a compact single layer winding on the rod body.

6. A machine for applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a pivotally mounted winding arm having means at one end thereof for guiding a winding strand in winding position on to the rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding arm in correlated speed relationship whereby a smooth and compact winding is eected, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft, a drive worm xed to said shaft, and a half nut carried by the other end of said winding arm adapted to be swung into and out of driving engagement with said worm with the pivoting movement of said winding arm.

7. A machine for applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a winding head including an arm having means at one end thereof for guiding a winding strand in winding position on to said rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding head, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft having, means at the other end of said arm traversing drive engagement with said head, a drive shaft rotatably supporting said chuck, means prividing a driving connection of correlated speed ratio Abetween said shafts, a driving motor, and means for manually shifting said motor into and out of driving engagement with one of said shafts.

8. A machine for applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably Support the rod, a winding head for guiding a winding strand in winding position onto said rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding head, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft having traversing drive engagement with said head, a drive shaft rotatably supporting said chuck, means providing a driving connection of correlated speed ratio between said shafts, a driving motor having a driving element, a drive wheel associated with one of said shafts, a pivotally mounted platform supporting said motor and its associated driving element normally out of driving engagement with said drive wheel, and a foot lever connected to said pivotally mounted platform adapted to manipulate said platform and swing the motor driving element into driving Vengagement with said drive wheel.

9. A machine for applying strand windings to va rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a winding head including an arm having means at one end thereof for guiding a winding strand in Winding position onto said rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding head, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft, means at the other end of said arm having traversing drive engagement with said head, a drive shaft rotatably supporting said chuck, means providing a driving connection of correlated speed ratio between said shafts, and a hand wheel fixed to one of said shafts for manually rotating said shafts.

10. A machine for applying strand windings to 'a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a pivotally mounted from said traversing means.

winding .arm for guiding a winding strand on to the rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding arm in correlated speed relationship whereby a smooth and compact winding is effected, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft, a drive worm fixed to said shaft, a half nut mounted at one end of said winding arm adapted to' `be swung into and out of driving engagement with said worm with the pivoting movement of said winding arm, resilient means for normally retaining the half nut in driving engagement with said drive worm, and a strand guide mounted on the opposite end of said winding arm for guiding the winding strand onto said rod.

11. A machine for applying strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a pivotally mounted rWinding arm for guiding a winding strand on to the rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding arm in correlated speed relationship whereby a smooth and compact winding is eiected, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft, a drive worm iixed to said shaft, a half nut mounted at one end of said winding arm adapted to be swung into and out of driving engagement with said worm y with the pivoting movement of said winding arm, resilient means for normally retaining the half nut in driving engagement with said drive worm, a strand guide mounted on the opposite end of said winding arm for guiding the winding strand on to said rod, and adjustable tension means associated with said winding arm for maintaining la predetermined tension on the winding strand during the rod winding operation.,

12. A machine for applying strand windings to selected spaced areas on a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, means to rotate said chuck and the rod supported thereby, a pair of strand winding arms, means associated with each of said arms for guiding a Vwinding strand on to the rod, traversing means detachably connected to said winding arms operative to traverse said winding arms in opposite directions, means to correlate the traversing speed of said arms with the rotating speed of the rod whereby a pair 'of spaced windings on said rod is effected, adjustable means for establishing a predetermined space setting for said windings, and resilient means for automaticallymoving said winding arms to said space setting when said windng arms are detached 13. A machine for applying strand windings to selected spaced areas on a rod which includes, a chuck-mounted to rotatably support the rod, means to rotate said chuck and the rod supported thereby, a winding head having a pair of pivotally mounted winding arms, means associated with each of said arms for guiding a winding strand on to the rod, traversing means for traversing said winding arms in opposite directions, means for detachably connecting said winding arms to ksaid traversing means, means to correlate the traversing speed of said winding arms with the rotating speed of the rod whereby y a pair of spaced windings on said rod is eiected, adjustable means for establishing a predetermined space setting of said winding arms,

resilient means for automatically moving Said winding varms to said space setting when said winding arms are detached from said traversing means, and an indicator associated with said winding head for accurately locating the winding position of the strand windings deposited on said rod.

' 14. A machine for applying duplex strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a winding Ahead having a Dair of pivotally mounted winding arms for guiding the winding strands on to the rod, driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding arms in correlated speed relationship whereby a pair of smooth yand compact windings is eiTected, said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft',v a pair of oppositely threaded drive worms xed to said shaft, a half nut mounted at one end of each of said winding arms adapted to be swung into and out of driving engagement with one of said worms with the pivoting movement of the winding arm, a strand guide mounted on the opposite end of each of said winding arms for guiding its winding strand on to said rod, and adjustable means for resiliently maintaining said winding arms in predetermined spaced relationship when said winding arms are out of driven engagement with said drive worms.

15. A machine for applying duplex strand windings to a rod which includes, a chuck mounted to rotatably support the rod, a pair of pivotally mounted winding arms forguiding the winding strands on to the rod, and driving means for rotating said chuck and for traversing said winding arms in correlated speed relationship whereby a pair of smooth and compact windings is effected. said driving means including a rotatably mounted traversing shaft, a pair of oppositely threaded drive worms fixed to said shaft, a half nut mounted at one end of each of said winding arms adapted to be swung into and out of driving engagement with one of said worms with the pivoting movement of the winding arm, resilient means associated `with ve-ach of said winding arms normally retaining its associated half nut in driving engagement with one of said drive worms, a strand guide mounted on 'the opposite end of each of said winding arms for guiding its winding strand on to said rod, and adjustable means for resiliently maintaining said winding arms in predetermined spaced relationship when said winding arms are out of driven engagement with said drive worms.

` ELMER WODETZKY.

REFERENCES CITED AThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

